Roger Corman

Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is a producer and director of low-budget films; as such, he has apprenticed many now-famous directors, stressing the importance of budgeting and resourcefulness. Corman is probably best known for his filmings of various Edgar Allan Poe stories, including The Raven, The Pit and the Pendulum and The Masque of the Red Death.

Corman was born in Detroit, Michigan and received an industrial engineering degree from Stanford University. He began his career in 1953 as a producer and screenwriter, and began directing in 1955. Until his retirement in 1971 he would produce up to 7 movies a year, his fastest film was perhaps The Little Shop of Horrors which was shot in 2 days and 1 night.

A number of noted film directors have worked with Corman, including Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, James Cameron, and John Sayles. One actor who started his career working for Corman is Jack Nicholson.